‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’: Things to know as it celebrates 50 years

“A Charlie Brown Christmas” has become almost as iconic now as the holiday it celebrates.

The special celebrates its 50th year Monday night on ABC, with both the animated program and a preceding star-studded celebration called “It’s Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown.”

Here are a few little-known facts about the holiday special.

‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ almost didn’t happen

Lee Mendelson, the executive producer for the special, said in 2006 that CBS network executives did not love it when it was first screened for them in 1965.

“They said, ‘We’ll play it once and that will be all. Good try,’ ” Mendelson told Pop Matters. He and director Bill Melendez “thought we had ruined Charlie Brown forever when it was done. We kind of agreed with the network. One of the animators stood up in the back of the room — he had had a couple of drinks — and he said, ‘It’s going to run for a hundred years,’ and then fell down. We all thought he was crazy, but he was more right than we were.”

The soundtrack is huge, but Charles Schulz was not a fan of jazz

The studio album of music from the special, composed by Vince Guaraldi and performed by his trio, has also become a staple for the holiday season.

It’s so popular that it was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. “Christmastime is Here” helps set the tone for the holiday season, and who hasn’t danced to “Linus and Lucy” just like the characters do (albeit minus Schroeder on the piano)?